At mid-day I went out to Merkle to see what I could find and was surprised
to find two Black-necked Stilts feeding in the pond immediately behind the
visitor's center.  I got great looks at the birds with both my bins and
scope from 11 until about 11:40.  After a short hike, I returned to the
visitor's center and found the stilts still present.  Linda Fridan and her
parents also saw the birds feeding in the pond at this time.  When I left
(a little before 1:00) the birds were still there, feeding in the grassy
portion of the pond closest to the visitor's center.  The yellow book does
not include a dot for Stilts in Prince George's County.  Hopefully, these
birds will stick around for the May Count.

Also feeding there was a Glossy Ibis, a dozen or so Least Sandpipers, both
Yellowlegs, and one Semipalmated Plover.

Other birds of note included Acadian Flycatchers, Redstarts, Parula, Common
Yellowthroats, White-eyed and Red-eyed Vireo, Louisiana Waterthrush, and a
Baltimore Oriole at Fenno Road.  Merkle had many singing Grasshopper
Sparrows in the fields near the visitor's center, as well as 3 Meadowlarks,
singing Yellow Warblers, an Eastern Wood-Pewee (along the Paw Paw trail),
and many singing Wood Thrush.

Fred Shaffer

Patuxent MOS

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